Breaking: Adam makes a sample story

The Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers, two of the NBA's younger teams, square off in an intriguing inter-conference showdown at 8 p.m. ET Thursday (TNT).

The 76ers are an eight-point home favorite. The Over/Under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 219, down from the open of 222.5.

The money line is Philadelphia -350, meaning you would need to bet $350 on the 76ers to win $100.

Patriots

2/1

Eagles

5/2

Steelers

4/1

Packers

80/1

Two of the nation's surprising playoff contenders came up just short at the end, but now matchup for what should be an entertaining Orange Bowl -- that will likely come down to the fourth quarter.

Both teams have showcased second-half mentalities. Wisconsin wears down foes, leading to an overwhelming237-64 second-half point-differential, thanks to a pounding ground game and the top-ranked defense in the county.

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Miami actually trailed or was tied after the first quarter in eight of its 12 games and trailed six times at halftime. It didn't affect Hurricanes' bottom line (10-2) thanks to strong finishes.

In a game where points could be a luxury, whichever team dictates its tempo after the break will have the advantage.

Before picking either side, you need to read what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say. It would have won over 96 percent of CBS Sports office pools in football last season and has put together an amazing 33-18 run (64.7 percent) on its top-rated NBA point spread picks for SportsLine.

Now, the model has examined every matchup, every player and every trend in Lakers-Sixers and locked in against-the-spread, Over/Under and money-line picks.

One we'll give away: The computer is projecting points will be tough to come by, with the Under hitting in 69 percent of simulations. It also has a very strong pick for one side of this matchup against the spread.

Two weeks ago, Philadelphia was riding high and chasing Cavaliers and Celtics in the quest for Eastern Conference supremacy.

But then the Sixers played the Cavaliers and the Celtics -- and dropped both teams by a combined 33 points.